The Impossible First Question

The faculty room for Mirinae Academy's first-year students had turned into complete chaos. Between the test papers fluttering through the air, a woman beamed with a bright smile while a man shouted in pure rage. The way they glared at each other suggested they saw one another as far worse than mere rivals.

"Have you lost your mind? How are we supposed to handle it if you make the test this ridiculously hard!"

"Oh my, weren't you the one who insisted we needed proper discriminatory power?"

"But I never said to make it this bad!"

The issue was the very first page of the Mirinae Academy entrance exam theory test. The questions written there were at a level that prospective students—hell, even current Mirinae students—couldn't possibly solve.

"Do you honestly think the first five questions will provide any real discrimination? Do you actually believe any prospective student could solve these?"

"Of course. That's precisely why they're discriminatory."

Those who had initially thought 'Is there really a need to react like that?' completely changed their minds the moment they saw the floating test papers.

"Weren't there one or two perfect scores last year? I wasn't satisfied with that either. Everyone agreed with my opinion, didn't they?"

"W-well, we didn't expect you to make it this difficult..."

"I agree. This... is far too idealistic and subjective. Are there even actual answers?"

"Oh my, of course there are. What exactly do you take me for?"

Professor Lee Hwaryeong handled every criticism with that sly demeanor, never once stopping the playful glint in her eyes. Even as everyone in the room looked at her with clear disapproval, she continued speaking with perfect composure.

"Mirinae Academy must be the best. Even in the theory exam, we need to test not just basic theory but evenly cover magic, martial arts, and external paths."

"I'm questioning the very nature of these problems."

"I think the quality is excellent?"

"How many times do I have to tell you it's too high-quality to even be called a problem? Is twisting other people's words a hobby for mages?"

"That's why I called it a device for discrimination... It seems martial artists really struggle to understand what people say, don't they?"

"'It seems'? What exactly does that mean?"

"It's simply what I felt."

The first-year magic representative professor Lee Hwaryeong and the first-year martial arts representative professor Gainard. These two had been bitter rivals from the moment they first met.

"The test papers are already complete, and we don't have time to revise them anyway."

Everyone in the faculty room fell silent at Lee Hwaryeong's bold attitude. They were simply overwhelmed by her intense desire and greed for talent, which burned hotter than anyone else's.

"You just need to supervise the exam and pay special attention to any students who ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠get stuck on that first page. Understood?"

"..."

Gainard decided that continuing the argument was pointless. He turned on his heel and headed straight for the theory testing site.

It was thirty minutes before the academy's theory exam was scheduled to begin.

I'm fucked.

That was the first thought that escaped me the moment I saw the opening question.

A question that no one could easily approach without being an expert in at least one specialized field had claimed the prestigious number one spot.

Wow. They're really asking prospective students something like this right from the start.

Not only that, but the rest of the page was packed with equally brutal problems—deriving magic formulas, finding counters to sword techniques, designing artifact structures, and more. Assuming the test packet was five pages long with five questions per page, that meant roughly fifty questions total.

They expect us to solve all this in one hour?

Even if I already knew the answers, each question would take at least ten to fifteen minutes to write out properly. This was an aspect I hadn't anticipated, and it left me genuinely flustered.

It's because I only knew the general academy testing format but not the specific details...

Since I wasn't a character who grew by enrolling in the academy in the first place, there was nothing I could do about it. The one saving grace was that I had solved many high-difficulty problems in the past while trying to raise my intelligence stat. So while it took time, I could still work through them.

The time management is what worries me most...

The first question is usually the easiest no matter where you go in the world. That meant this was the "basic" problem, so skipping ahead to look at the later pages wasn't an option.

It would've been nice to at least see how the other kids were solving it.

It wasn't an empty saying that cheating during the academy exam was nearly impossible. The moment the test began, a black barrier formed around each prospective student, completely blocking their view of the surroundings. On top of that, if even the slightest trace of mana flow or skill activation was detected, the offender was failed immediately without question.

It was a structure that could only be overcome with pure personal ability.

This is humiliating for a veteran like me.

Since I could still see the clock, I felt increasing anxiety as I worked through the problems. Even when I knew the answer, the sheer length required to explain it properly might cause me to run out of time.

The more serious issue was that forty-five questions still remained, I only had ten minutes left, and I had just finished the fourth problem.

Since external path applicants are fewer, if I solve five problems... and show something unique during the practical, I might still pass...

It wasn't completely impossible. And even if I failed the exam, there were still several other ways to enter the academy. It would simply be more convenient to get in as a proper student and stay close to the main characters, picking up benefits while building my strength.

"Five minutes remaining. Anyone who needs to switch answer sheets, do so now. Those who haven't finished writing, hurry up."

The supervisor delivering the remaining time and instructions. Despite his stiff tone, there was a strangely friendly undertone to it.

That must be Professor Gainard.

Known for being strict among the martial arts professors and someone who followed proper procedure more than anyone else. He was a key character I would have needed to earn favor with if I'd decided to develop the protagonist through the martial arts route. Of course, since I was taking the external path, that didn't apply to me.

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.

With every passing second, my anxiety grew. Just one more sentence—no, two more sentences—and I would have a perfect answer.

I thought the artifact formula design question would be straightforward, but they even hid traps in it.

I didn't know who had written the questions, but they were the worst kind of sadist. There were a few people I suspected, but if they made it this ridiculously difficult, could the other students even solve them? If the entire test was like this, then conversely, the fact that I had solved five questions might mean I had the highest score.

If it's ten points out of zero... then I win, right?

While I was thinking this and continuing to write, Gainard's roar slammed into my ears.

"That's it! Everyone stop! Do not move another inch!"

Gainard spat out the announcement that the test was over as if declaring war on a mortal enemy. No matter how much he loved following proper procedure, this seemed a bit excessive even for him.

"The test papers will be collected automatically, so until I give further instructions, remain still and keep your hands raised above your heads."

"Yes!"

The moment everyone raised ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠their hands according ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to Gainard's command, the test papers began floating up into the air one by one.

The theory test is over.

Now only the practical exam remained.

"Everyone line up."

"Yes!!"

Inside the practical testing ground. As expected, rows of doors were lined up neatly.

Seeing it in person after only seeing it as pixels, it's quite a different feeling.

They were called the Doors of Trial. The moment you opened one, you would be sucked into an exclusive testing space where you fought monsters to complete the exam. Stronger monsters appeared the more you defeated, and your score was determined by how quickly you cleared them and how high-ranking the monsters were.

"Everyone stand in front of a door. They're all identical, so there's no need to choose specifically."

Following Gainard's surprisingly kind explanation, the prospective students hurried into position, afraid of getting on his bad side. Standing in front of a single door hardly seemed to require such intense movements, but I understood. Their entire future depended on whether they succeeded here or not, so they had no choice but to give it everything.

If I were to compare it to Earth, it'd be like the final CSAT for an eighth-year retake student.

With that thought, I walked casually toward my door. After all, this part wasn't counted in the official score, and this was the only real break time we'd get.

"Also, even if you die inside, you won't actually die, so give it your absolute all. Use every ounce of strength like your life depends on it. Even if it seems excessive, it's all illusory space, and we have more than enough power to heal you. Trust us."

Gainard had meant to ease the tension with those words, but they only made the atmosphere heavier. The talk of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠resolve to die combined with the examiner's grave tone about giving it your all didn't relax anyone. If anything, it set their hearts on fire to the point of reducing them all to ashes.

If you faint inside or reach the brink of death, the test ends there.

It was a practical exam method perfectly in line with Mirinae Academy's emphasis on realism.

"Now then, open your doors and enter."

"Yes!"

A thunderous reply rang out as if to split the heavens, followed by the simultaneous sound of doors opening. I opened mine the same way and stepped inside. The first thing I saw was...

"A goblin."

Green skin, short stature around 130 centimeters. Even the crude stone it held in its hand. The game's graphics had been perfectly recreated.

If it starts with a goblin... I can roughly predict the order.

The main characters would probably defeat monsters far beyond what prospective students could handle. While I was thinking that, the goblin charged at me with surprising speed. Still, it was too predictable and too slow.

"Kieeeeeeek!"

"Wow, your breath is no joke. Have you been brushing your teeth with pine needles for ten years too?"

First time I've met one that smells just like me.

Swish— CRACK!

I spun around and kicked the charging goblin squarely in the jaw while firmly grabbing its arm so it couldn't fly away. Crack. Crunch. The body I held and the head trying to fly in the opposite direction moved separately, and the goblin's head was ripped off as easily as pulling up a bean sprout.

"This is the result of ten years living in the mountains, you bastard."

Having a state that vastly surpassed ordinary people was essentially the same as saying it matched a knight's capabilities. Of course, it couldn't compare to becoming a true monster by circulating mana through your body. Still, this level was quite useful.

Next should be... wolf, bear, warg...

The advantage of being a veteran was that I knew every weakness and pattern these monsters had by heart. As long as my physical abilities could keep up, I could handle most monsters well enough to endure. I also snatched their weapons right before they died, so I was still managing.

Use the wolf's claws to strip the bear's hide and wrap it around myself... use that to block the warg's attacks... then pull out the warg's claws again.

Kill, farm, prepare, kill, farm, repeat.

After repeating that cycle about five more times, monsters that had moved beyond the purely physical realm began to appear.

This must be the branching point.

I could still handle orcs at this level. I could even endure an orc party. But once it reached trolls, the story changed completely.

"Uwooooooooooooooo!"

The armor I'd taken from the orc party could no longer protect me. If I took a hit from a tree root casually swung by a troll, my body would be smashed to pieces no matter what I wore. Especially if it was cheap iron armor crudely made by orcs.

I couldn't even activate United Will...

Ever since I destroyed the Ant Cave, the meaning of a group had long since vanished. With my main skill sealed and my hidden skill unusable, I had to face a troll in this state.

"This is what I'm best at."

I slowly began unwrapping the bandages tightly bound around my hand. It was time to bring out the spider web.